The boys golf regionals are here on a sunny day at Naperbrook Golf Course. All six of our area teams, including back-to-back defending regional champions Benet Academy and DVC champions Naperville North, tee off against seven other teams in a bid to secure low scores, with sectionals taking place next week. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Kaiden Shah for Metea Valley gets out of the sand on the first hole and the flop takes a good roll. He shoots an 81, but even a solid score like that is not enough to get him to sectionals in this tough regional.
Valley schools get busy on hole three
Daniel Zhang from Neuqua Valley looks to build off his DVC individual tournament championship with an eagle, but it comes up short. Zhang hits the birdie and moves on to sectionals after a round of 71.
Drew Allen is hoping to tag along. He executes this approach with excellent concentration and caps it off with a birdie, as Allen and teammates, Zhang, Connor Rodebaugh, and Tegan Clancy all qualify for sectionals as individuals.
The par 5 third hole is a favorite. Waubonsie’s Annish Kamdar hits a birdie as well and shows his signature celebration after the shot.
Fellow Warrior Avi Khanduja says “Hold my bag,” as he also shoots one under on the same green.
Waubonsie Valley senior Adam Torreon takes his turn to deliver a birdie as the Warriors are on a tear on the third hole.
Benet emerges as the early favorites
Over to hole four featuring Benet senior sensation Caden Petersen. He is the new all-time scorer for Benet after shooting a 65 in a tournament a couple of weeks ago, and he hopes to bring the fire this postseason, and he’s doing that so far with a tee shot onto the dance floor.
Another Redwing, Luke Donovan lines up for a long birdie. The putt looks to be in his favor until it slows up a bit too early, but Donovan is able to secure the par.
More from Benet on the fourth green featuring Rory Neil, who sinks a par from a tough distance to help the Redwing cause.
Naperville North continues its strong season
Colin Mills from Naperville North follows up a strong tee shot by burying a birdie putt to stay at one under on the hole.
Up next is Lincoln Schultz, who displays a good chip, putting him in a spot to capture the par on the next stroke.
On hole 11, Evan Pratali shoots one under and celebrates in the spotlight for the Huskies.
Redwings get a lot of insurance on the round as Will Mathieson secures the birdie.
Back to Caden Petersen, who pars the 11th and goes on to shoot a 71, the second lowest score for the Redwings in the regional.
Naperville Central gets a sectional qualifier via Christian Hay, who is one of three Redhawks to punch a ticket, thanks to a great tee shot that stays put despite the strong backspin.
Henry Haumesser is on the tee box for North. His shot drops on the green and nearly rolls in for a hole-in-one. Haumesser keeps the scorecard clean on this hole with a par.
Trevor Schmidt from North is on to tee off on the same green, and this one lands in his favor with a backspin and that one almost finds the bottom of the cup. Schmidt completes the task with a birdie.
We stay with Schmidt on hole 18, where he chips onto the green and pars to end his day, and leads the Huskies with a solid round of 70.
Kamdar helps lead the way for the Warriors as he and Torreon both shoot a 72. Kamdar birdies the final hole to cap off his day.
Graeme Cavanagh and Jack Quil go to war in a playoff
Here is Graeme Cavanagh from Naperville Central, who has his sectional spot firmly in hand. The Redhawk finishes on a strong note with an eagle, but we are just getting started.
Jack Quil from Benet wants to get his ball near the cup, but instead he wants it all, and his wish is granted with an eagle. The clutch shot forces a playoff between him and Cavanagh for the individual regional title.
Both Cavanagh and Quil hit the green with Cavanagh on to putt. He misses the birdie but hits the par, forcing Quil to hit it in two shots to keep the playoff going or one to win it.
Quil putts for birdie and the win, but it is off the mark. Quil makes the par, and the playoff is still on.
The pair remains tied on hole two, so let’s go to hole three. Quil can put the pressure on Cavanagh with a par, but it comes up short, so Cavanagh can end it with a par.
Benet Academy locks up third straight boys golf regional
Cavanagh keeps his cool, putts it home, and wins the individual title with a round of 68. Teammate Christian Bartels is also heading to sectionals after a round of 78. The good news for Quil is that his team, Benet Academy wins its third straight regional as the Redwings, Waubonsie Valley and Naperville North all qualify as teams, while seven other area golfers follow as individuals.
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